It is well known that certain large appliances, such as refrigerators and dishwashers, in addition to other enclosed spaces such as pantries, closets, dirty clothes hampers, clothes and bed linen storage receptacles and similar such receptacles and appliances may in certain instances develop a dank, moldy odor or, in the instances of pantries or clothes or bed linen receptacles, contain a certain amount of insect pests such as cockroaches, flour weevils, moths, etc. In some of these closed areas the odor or insects are simply a nuisance, and in others a genuine health hazard or likelihood of damage to goods is present. Particularly, in the instance of a refrigerator, fruit contained in a “crisper” portion of the refrigerator may produce certain gasses, such as methane, or for tomatoes acetylene, that ripen the fruit prematurely. Vegetables in a crisper may also develop mold, which may produce ruination of everything in the crisper. In addition, food left beyond its time in a refrigerator may spoil or sour, producing foul odors that may permeate into other food, or if the refrigerator is provided with an automatic icemaker, into the water for ice, rendering the food and/or ice unpalatable.
In other appliances, such as dishwashers, dishes may be inadvertently left in a dishwasher too long, resulting in unwashed food on the dishes and utensils becoming spoiled, which also produces foul odors and gasses such as methane. While not particularly dangerous inasmuch as most modern dishwashers heat water to a sanitizing level sufficient to kill microorganisms, the outpouring of noxious odors when a door of such a dishwasher is opened is unpleasant, and may be nauseating. A similar occurrence may occur in the instance of clothes washers, and clothes dryers sometimes develop unpleasant or unusual odors.
In other instances, closets may be come dank, pantries may become infested with insects, and dirty clothes hampers almost always have a mildewed, malodorous smell associated with them. Further yet, shoe storage areas, such as a shoe drawer in an armoire, may suffer from foot odors.
In addition to the above problems, these appliances and other enclosed spaces are usually in need of illumination. Typically, in refrigerators, a separate light is provided that is energized when the door is opened. In dishwashers, pantries, closets and others of the aforementioned areas there is typically no illumination provided.
Further yet, it is known that at least certain pest insects, such as cockroaches, moths, gnats, fruit flies and other food-infesting insects are adverse to ozone. In these instances, pantries and other food-storage areas may be kept insect-free by providing ozone to these areas.
In accordance with the foregoing, various embodiments of systems for providing ozone to a variety of types of enclosed spaces is shown and described. In addition, the ozone generator is configured so as to provide illumination to the area to which ozone is provided.